Raider Update
May 21, 2023
Message from the Superintendent
Hello Raider Families,
In the last edition of the Raider Update, I shared information we learned from a survey we recently conducted in our school district. I’ve also been writing about four things I would like you to know about our situation in Hastings Public Schools – today I’m on to point number three. As a reminder, here are the four points:
Strong schools = strong community. We have excellent schools, committed students, dedicated staff, highly engaged parents/caregivers, and a generous community.
The Hastings Public School District continues to proactively adjust our finances.
Inflation, declining enrollment, and an expiring operating levy are driving factors that will continue to negatively impact our financial situation beyond any internal adjustments.
A district Levy Referendum worth approximately $3 million will expire, if not renewed in November, and the school board is gauging the feasibility of increasing the levy.
This week, I would like to focus on how inflation, declining revenues, and an expiring operating levy affect our schools.
You don’t need to be an expert in economics to understand the value of a dollar has declined. You just need to make a trip to the grocery store or pay a utility bill to know that the cost of things has gone up markedly over the past few years. The same can be said for our schools. Be it the fuel for our buses, the electricity for our buildings, or the materials and supplies that aid student learning, everything costs more, and that affects our financial situation.
On top of our increasing expenses, our revenue has declined – we have fewer students attending our schools, and with that resizing of the district, our income has declined. We are also required to pay for services without receiving adequate reimbursement from the state and federal governments. The Minnesota Legislature just approved an education bill this week, and while there is significant new funding, which will help, there also appears to be additional mandates that are unfunded or only partially funded (more on this when we’ve had a chance to dig deep into this new legislation).
Finally, as I have been saying for quite some time, one of our two operating levies expires this year. This voter approved levy supplies nearly $3 million in revenue each year. We would have quite a budget gap without it.
I remain optimistic that there is a way forward. The survey results I alluded to last week spoke to the community being in favor of supporting our schools, with 71% agreeing that “additional funding would allow the district to maintain current programs without having to make annual cuts”. Residents were strongly in support of providing opportunities for students to earn college credit or receive resources for their mental health needs.
We are a caring community. We are a strong community that is committed to keeping our schools strong, as well. I look forward to working with you to come up with good solutions to strengthen our future together.
Bob McDowell, Ed.D.
Superintendent
April Hastings Rotary Club Student of the Month
Congratulations Lindsay Mathison! Lindsay was selected as the April, 2023 recipient of the Hastings Rotary “Student of the Month” Award. The Hastings Rotary Club recognizes Hastings High School seniors who exemplify Rotary’s motto of ‘Service Above Self’, as a way to reward and foster these ideals, and also build mutually rewarding relationships between school administration, staff, students, parents and the Rotary members.
Lindsay's nominator had this to share about Lindsay "Lindsay has really
stood out this year in a number of different ways. We have gotten the opportunity to see her captain
the senior Powder Puff team, participate in Student Council and be an FCA huddle leader. One thing
that you’ll notice right away is Lindsay’s desire and ability to simply act. When a task needs to be
accomplished, she, without hesitation, jumps on it and sees that it is taken care of. When others are
not stepping up, she does. It is in her heart to help."
Lindsay was recognized by the Hastings Rotary Club with her parents at the Rotary Club meeting last Thursday, May 18th, 2023.
Renew Your Minnesota Health Care Program Information
If your family utilizes Minnesota Health Care Programs (such as Medical Assistance), you may need to renew soon. Look up when you are due to renew, report address/phone number changes, get text message reminders and more: https://mn.gov/dhs/renewmycoverage/
HHS Graduation
Visit the Hastings High School homepage for more information.
Friday, Jun 9, 2023, 07:00 PM
McNamara Stadium/Todd Field, 10th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Graduating Senior Meal Account Balances
If your graduating senior leaves a balance in their meal account, it will be transferred to the next sibling in your family beginning on Friday, June 3rd. If you use auto-pay, please enter your account and turn off the auto-pay feature by Monday, May 22nd, 2023. If you do not want this transfer made, please get in touch with Andrea Seleski via email (aseleski@isd200.org) by Thursday, June 1st, 2023.
Meal accounts of seniors will be closed after Friday, June 2nd, 2023, and will no longer be seen in My Payments Plus. These meal accounts are closed on this date in order to stop auto payments as the balances are transferred to siblings. However, balances can still be seen by the Food Service office until June 30th, 2023.
If the graduating senior has no sibling to transfer the balance to, please request a refund or donate it to the District Angel Fund. The District Angel Fund seeks to provide short-term assistance to families in need by covering negative meal account balances and ensuring no child goes hungry.
à Balances may be transferred to the District Angel Fund. You may send an email to aseleski@isd200.org to request this transfer. A reply will be sent after the transfer, acknowledging the donation.
- A balance refund that is over $5.00 needs a written request sent to: aseleski@isd200.org
- Important: Please include your student’s name, student ID number, refund amount, and mailing address in all correspondence.
- Please call Andrea at 651-480-7050 to verify the balance left in the account.
- Refunds will be made through June 9th, 2023.
Thank you, and good luck to the Class of 2023!
Hastings Public Schools
- Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221
- McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390
- Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280
- Hastings Middle School (5-8) 651-480-7060
- Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470
- Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690
- Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670
*If you need any assistance in translating the Raider Update, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.
Website: www.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1000 11th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastingspublicschools